darling, it's okay to lose yourself in the glitter
by onecupoftae
Summary: Beyond the forest lies a world vibrating with magic and a boy with wings on his back. — Taekook.


**summary:**

" _is that what you want?" and when he speaks this time, there is something cold hidden behind the words. something like a warning. "to return to the human world?"_

 _jungkook swallows. "—no."_

(beyond the forest lies a world vibrating with magic and a boy with wings on his back.)

* * *

darling, it's okay to lose yourself in the glitter

* * *

there is something out there, in the dark.

jungkook's eyes flitter around to observe the rustling leaves in front of him as he stands at the entrance of the forest. the movements, although subtle and almost cautious, are still undoubtedly present. he is being watched, he knows that with certainty. he tries to follow the sounds to pinpoint the target, but here's the thing about the nighttime, in a place of wilderness away from civilization and guidance of streetlights: he can't actually _see_ anything.

it's too late, well past midnight, and he shouldn't be here, shouldn't be exposing himself willingly to the dangers hidden behind bushes and large tree trunks, but he needs to get to the other side. needs to pass this nightmare, one foot after the other, walk past his fears. and—he's scared. he's so fucking terrified. hands stuffed into his pockets so that no one can see them shaking, so that he himself can't see them shaking, goosebumps running along the length of his arms, mouth dry. the instinct to flee raises his heat rate, up up up, when the sensation of being watched intensifies.

there is something out there. he is not alone.

he is not alone.

a gentle breeze nearly knocks him off his feet. he wraps his jacket around himself tighter like a kid under a blanket and shivers. it's been quiet for a rare two minutes, an eerie calm settling around him, and jungkook isn't sure whether to feel reassured or more worried. he feels the forest calling out to him, tugging him closer, stealing the oxygen from his lungs and suffocating him in the process.

when he finally moves, it's as if he's in a trance. step by step. into the forest.

into the unknown.

.

the minute jungkook passes the invisible barrier between street and woods, there is light.

it leaves him blinded for a few seconds, the contrast from the darkness earlier so great that he has to blink multiple times to clear his vision. a variety of lilacs present themselves before him and trees span out like giant fans shielding him from the sun. clouds the colour of cotton candy, tinted pink and lavender, swirl in the sky in a showcase of wonder. magic.

off to the side, he catches a shimmer. like firecrackers, sparks flash from underneath tree leaves in quick succession, glittering so fast that he's sure he would have missed it had he not turned at that exact moment. it leaves a trail of shining dust in its absence.

as jungkook walks deeper into the forest, he comes across a small waterfall. the rush of flowing water drowns out most of the sounds but he can hear a low hum echoing in the air, slow and melodious. the singing pulls him forward, unseen strings tugging at his curiosity, and what he finds at the other end is a boy.

a boy with hair the colour of sunsets and a large pair of wings sprouting from his back.

the stranger sits on a rock by the waterfall, bare feet dipped into the stream, painting lyrics together in a language jungkook doesn't recognize for a butterfly that rests on his finger. jungkook stands beside a tree, watching the moonlight glow of the boy's wings rival the shine of stars in the sky.

eventually, the song ends on a high note and the butterfly flutters away. the boy stands up and floats down from the rock, wings beating fiercely but eloquently behind him, and he turns to stare directly at the place where jungkook is.

"i know you're there," he calls out, voice smooth. it reminds jungkook of soft grass beneath his feet. chocolate chip cookies. dreams. "come out."

tentatively, jungkook steps out into view. he takes a few steps closer and whispers in awe, "w-what are you?"

the other boy only raises an eyebrow, not smiling but not frowning either. instead of answering the question, he looks jungkook up and down. "you're human," and the way he says it is finite, maybe even a little bit surprised. "how did you get here?"

jungkook glances around, not quite knowing where _here_ is. "i think… i just walked into the forest."

the boy hums and reaches out a hand. "i'm taehyung." and when jungkook introduces himself in return, there is a shift in the atmosphere. taehyung's hand is cold to the touch and he feels incredibly light, as if he weighs close to nothing.

"well, jungkookie, would you like to go back to the human world?" taehyung looks at him expectantly, head cocked to the side. something tells him that taehyung could bring him back if he requests it, that this can be the first and last time he ever experiences the mysteries of the fairy realm—that's where this is, where he's stumbled upon: home of the fairies—if he just says the word.

he makes up his mind, declares, "—no."

taehyung's auburn eyes glint dangerously, a slow smile spreading across his lips. his wings beat in excitement behind him.

"good."

.

taehyung leads jungkook deeper into the forest, to a place where a group of trees form a circle around a small open field. even as a mere human, jungkook gets the feeling that something about this place is special. there's more magic here, in this grove, than anywhere else in the forest; a flow of enchanted power thrumming from the deepest roots underground, like a network of invisible forces being gathered into one place.

sunlight filters through the gaps and he watches, mesmerized, as taehyung raises a hand while his skin seems to glow. from the older boy's fingertips, sprinkles of glitter explode into the air like confetti and jungkook opens his mouth to ask what it is, what this whole place is, but taehyung brings a finger to his mouth, _shh_ , gesturing for him to be quiet and wait and _observe_.

he's not sure what he's looking for, exactly, not until the grass beneath him begins to shift and the sound of leaves rustling increases with the force of the wind, and one by one the trees—jungkook hardly believes it—the trees come to life. little humanoid creatures untangle themselves from the surface of barks with arms that look like branches and flower buds in their hair so well camouflaged that had they not revealed themselves, he would have never even noticed them.

"they're dryads," taehyung murmurs, leaning in closer, "nymph spirits that reside in groves like this one."

jungkook can only nod as a gentle breeze is summoned by the dryads' joint effort, picking up a whirlwind of leaves and loose grass and twigs and petals. the woodland creatures dance along to a silent melody, twirling amongst each other in a way that is so elegant, so graceful, that he feels himself being swept up in a tune he can't even hear.

in the moment, he is captivated. thoughts whisked away with the wind, focused entirely on the performance in front of him, watching as one of the many secrets of this world reveals itself to him. welcomes him.

and then.

 _and then—_

there's a rattle, a disturbance in the peaceful harmony that the dryads created just moments ago, and jungkook feels like he's just been jerked out of a peaceful dream. he watches with confusion as the nymphs scatter away, seeking shelter in the trees of their element. the magic in the air drops into a lull of an ominous threat. beside him, taehyung stiffens.

from behind a bush, a person steps into view. no, not a person, jungkook reminds himself—a _fairy_.

sunlight follows the newcomer like a spotlight, his presence radiating a mystical kind of spirit. swirls of magenta mixed in with azure spans the length of his near transparent wings similar to long brush strokes, gentle and soft. jungkook glances from this stranger to taehyung, noting just how different they look, how different their energies feel.

taehyung locks eyes with him for a split second, mouth giving a sign of the slightest smirk, as if to say, _did you really think all fairies were the same?_ _aren't humans diverse, too?_

a beat of silence passes before jungkook hears a voice made of windchimes, laced with honey. "another human, tae? are you that lonely?"

"not lonely," taehyung's wings flap twice in quick succession, "just one step ahead of the game, jimin."

when jungkook turns his gaze toward the shorter boy, he finds that jimin is already staring at him, expression masked with a grin and raised eyebrows. "he's cute. care to share?"

taehyung swings an arm around jungkook protectively. "this one's mine."

the words are playful and the older boy's lips are curled up into a smile, but jungkook can feel the underlying tension around taehyung and jimin. the look that passes between them is intense in a way that jungkook can't even begin to understand, a flash of something in their eyes that goes far beyond his mortal years. there's electricity vibrating off their bodies, some kind of telepathic communication on a wavelength foreign to jungkook.

eventually, jimin simply shrugs and turns to leave without a word. "alright," he says, seemingly indifferent. the tense atmosphere dissipates as the he walks out of sight.

"what was that about?" jungkook asks.

taehyung grins, thumb caressing the younger boy's cheek. "nothing, jungkookie." he waves a hand again and the swirl of magic is back in the air, fairy dust sprinkled all around. taehyung scatters a few sparkles on top of jungkook's head, letting them fall onto his hair and eyelashes, a tingling sensation spreading throughout his body as taehyung laughs at the sight of jungkook scrunching up his nose. "nothing you have to worry about."

when the older boy leans in to capture jungkook's lips with his own, jungkook finds himself crossing the distance halfway, trusting, trusting; and in the presence of falling leaves, jungkook the human shares his first kiss with taehyung the fairy.

.

it's not until a few hours later that jungkook glances up at the sky and realizes that it's still just as sunny as it was when he first stepped foot into the fairy realm. the bright yellow-tinged glow is as prominent as ever and much later, perhaps too late, he realizes that there is no such thing as nighttime in this world. the concept of darkened skies and time to rest and a blanket of stars over their heads simply doesn't exist.

"isn't it better this way?" taehyung looks over his shoulder when jungkook voices his observations about the never-ending daylight. they're walking aimlessly now, the older boy leading the way, carving a path to no specific destination. "there's so much to do and nighttime would only take time away."

jungkook nods. there are already a limited number of hours that he's awake for and he often finds himself not able to accomplish everything that he wants to do. taehyung goes on to tell him of all these places he wants to visit with jungkook, unique to only the fairy realm. nature that jungkook's only seen in paintings back home. creatures that he thought only existed in make-belief folklore.

and as much as he'd like to stay up and do all sorts of things with taehyung—taehyung whose wings vibrate constantly with energy supporting a body that is much more adaptable than any human's—jungkook's own body simply cannot keep up without time to rest. it's impossible to tell how much time has passed by looking outside but his system is saying that he will need to sleep and recharge and heal before going on.

"of course, jungkookie, of course," taehyung reassures him as they find a nice place beneath a large tree to lie down. "rest for as long as you need to. i'll be right here when you wake up." the older boy smooths a hand comfortingly through his locks of black hair, sprinkling fairy glitter on his eyelids as they flutter close.

jungkook dreams of stars. little pulses of light filling up a darkened sky like scattered moondust sprinkled by careful hands. molten-gold and sequin-silver that taste like exploding diamonds; so distant, so far apart that they can't feel the warmth of each other even though they are made of burning. they blink on and off in an elaborate form of morse code, signalling messages of hope for lost souls.

and when he stirs awake to streaks of sunlight filtering through the trees, taehyung's eyes warm and inviting and safe in a way that say _welcome back_ , it's like he never woke up at all. forever existing in a dream state.

because the smile that jungkook receives feel surreal. like a spark of angle fire spreading across the span of long, snowed wings.

like a daytime shooting star.

.

"so you've met others?" jungkook asks. "other humans?"

he leans in against taehyung's side, seated on the grassy field. a breeze whispers by, picking up the scent of flowers, and jungkook feels the older boy shrug. "only a few."

there's a moment of hesitation before the dark-haired boy continues, "have—have any of them ever gone back? to the human world, i mean."

taehyung chuckles, sweet as honey, a pleasant sound that echoes in jungkook's ears. it's melodious in a way that makes him feel like he could close his eyes and get lost in the deep vibrations. "why would they want to go back after seeing the fairy realm?"

"i don't know," jungkook starts cautiously, diverting his gaze. "maybe to see their parents? visit friends?"

at that, the older boy shifts to look at jungkook through his eyelashes. "is that what you want?" and when he speaks this time, there is something cold hidden behind the words. something like a warning. "to return to the human world?"

he swallows. "i—"

taehyung caresses his cheek and brings their foreheads together, noses almost touching. there's a flicker of change in his amber eyes as a frown smooths itself over his features. sad and somber. "am i not good enough for you, jungkookie?"

jungkook can feel taehyung's breath tickling his cheek. long eyelashes that seem to glitter under the sunlight and soft, cotton candy hair growing on golden skin pressed against his own. strong hands holding him steady, warm and safe and jungkook doesn't know why he ever even entertained the idea of leaving something like this behind.

pulling away for a moment, taehyung studies the other for a moment before his gaze flickers down to jungkook's mouth. taehyung draws them together and kisses the corner of his lips, kisses down his neck in feather-light touches, kisses his collarbones until jungkook's thoughts dissolve away with every touch, until he forgets his own name, forgets about home and the time passing and thinks only of taehyung. _"taehyung,"_ he breathes. taehyung.

the older boy nibbles lightly on his skin, humming in satisfaction. "i'm right here, jungkookie," he murmurs, "i'm not going anywhere."

 _and neither are you._

.

there's a low grumbling sound that echoes out from around them and for the first time since entering the fairy realm, jungkook hears something that is familiar to him.

to his left, taehyung tilts his head in the younger boy's direction, a hint of an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "are you hungry?"

red blossoms on jungkook's cheeks as he nods shyly. "it's been a while since i've eaten anything."

"come on, then," taehyung chuckles softly, lifting himself up with a few quick beats of his wings to stand before reaching out a hand at the dark-haired boy, helping him off the ground. "let's go cook some nutritious frog stew for you to eat."

jungkook makes a chocked sound at the back of his throat. "frog stew?"

"oh, yeah. it's really tasty. the soup comes out to a wonderful murky green colour if you heat it up just right and the frog itself becomes so tender that you can swallow the whole thing in one big gulp. low in calories, too."

at the mortified look on the younger's face, taehyung bursts out laughing. "i'm kidding, i'm kidding." when jungkook doesn't look any more convinced, he adds, "besides, only witches eat frogs. their taste buds are a bit whacked. us fairies are more about the delicacies."

he receives a raised eyebrow. "and what are those delicacies, exactly?"

the expression that smooths itself onto taehyung's features is unreadable. in his eyes, jungkook sees something that is bordering on lust. and when taehyung tilts his head up, fingers gently applying pressure under his chin, it's jungkook who closes the distance first, moaning softly at the contact. hands tangled in hair and lips pressed together in what's beginning to seem more and more like a common occurrence.

pulling away, taehyung's eyes are half-lidded and jungkook himself feels drunk in the moment.

"kisses," the older boy breathes, "i live off your kisses, jungkookie."

jungkook straightens himself. "yeah, well, _i_ can't live off kisses alone so how about you get me some real food?"

"bossy," taehyung comments, threading his fingers between the dark-haired boy's. "alright, let's go. i know some people who should be able to satisfy even your high-maintenance needs."

they head back into the forest, long blades of grass weaving between their toes. even though jungkook doesn't see most of what is happening, he knows that this world—the fairy realm—is always busy. but it's not the same as seeing a stream of people crossing the road or hearing cars honk by on loud city roads; he can't quite explain it in words but what he observes here is more feeling, more emotions. like a wave of never-ending secrets constantly washing up on shore, revealing themselves one by one.

there's a low hum of activity in the air, little creatures moving around in firefly flickers. the sound of running water returns to his ears in the form of a soothing rumble as they make their way across a small bridge, clear blue river below them.

eventually, taehyung stops in front of a small, wooden cabin. he takes jungkook by the hand and there is something that reminds the younger boy of childlike excitement in taehyung's eyes as they walk up the steps to the front door. a little bell rings when the door opens and jungkook is immediately hit with the aroma of caramel-sweet pastries.

"seokjin-hyung!" taehyung greets the tall, pink-haired fairy who stands behind the counter. "can you make something for my friend, jungkook?"

when the shop owner glances over to him, jungkook raises a hand cautiously in greeting, still taking everything in. the place looks like a pastry store, shelves of desserts lined up on tall cabinets.

"human food, i'm guessing?" seokjin says, and the look that passes between the two fairies reminds jungkook oddly of their earlier encounter with jimin. it leaves him feeling a little unsettled, but a warm smile returns to seokjin's face not a second later. "why do you only come to me when you want something, hmm?"

taehyung grins back mischievously. "nah, i'm only here for namjoon. where is he, by the way?"

seokjin gasps dramatically, hand moving to his chest. from the room behind him, another person pokes his head out. "hey, taehyung! you can visit me anytime, got it? we don't need seokjin."

"you're right," taehyung laughs. "he's the one who needs _you_."

looking defeated as the others gang up on him, seokjin mumbles, "yeah, well, you need a human as much as i do." his eyes flicker over to jungkook for just a second.

taehyung seems to freeze at that comment and it's silent for a beat before seokjin looks up, eyes wide. "wait, don't tell me you haven't told jungkook about—"

"oh—that's right!" taehyung interjects, sending a glare in seokjin's direction before gesturing behind him. "namjoon is also a human like you, jungkookie. i brought you here because i thought you guys would get along."

and it's true. when he glances over to where namjoon stands, he doesn't see wings sprouting from the other boy's back or the signs of sparkles on his skin. _another human_ , he thinks. the first one he's come across since entering the fairy realm. namjoon is so ordinary that he almost doesn't know how to react.

"are you making a cake?" he asks instead, pointing to the ingredients on the table and the base layer of flour beside them.

"yeah, our friend, hoseok, has his birthday coming up. we thought we'd surprise him by baking him something." namjoon pauses. "and maybe this way, we can get away with not getting him an actual gift."

jungkook laughs, looks around the room, and realizes that he doesn't actually _know_ —"wait, how old are you guys?"

namjoon presses his lips into a thin line. "i asked seokjin the same thing when i first met him but fairy years are weird," he says, shaking his head as if recalling a tragedy. "i don't think you want to know."

"we're old enough that dermatologists hate us," taehyung jokes, steeping closer to him. and then he's running a hand through jungkook's hair, leaning in closer, closer.

jungkook shuts his eyes, loses himself in the glitter, and presses his lips against taehyung's; doesn't notice the worried expression seokjin exchanges with namjoon behind the counter. when they break apart, he reaches out to grasp at the counter as a wave of nausea passes through him. he blinks. it's the first time a kiss has ever made him dizzy.

"taehyung," seokjin's voice is stern, any hint of playfulness completely gone now, "aren't you taking too much?"

the sound that taehyung makes in response almost reminds jungkook of a growl. vicious. "back off, hyung. you said it earlier yourself, didn't you? i _need_ him."

"then you also need to tell him. he has a right to know."

taehyung seethes, looking like he's about to lunge forward. "not everyone is as understanding as namjoon, okay? you _know_ that's not how our relationship with the humans work."

" _tell him,"_ the pink-haired fairy repeats with similar ferocity, his wings beating violently. when taehyung doesn't do anything except narrow his eyes and the silence stretches into an unbearable atmosphere, when jungkook is just about to speak up and ask when the hell they're all going on about, seokjin relents. he looks over at jungkook, features softening slightly as he says, "at least ask him."

" _i already did."_

seokjin maintains his gaze on his customer, unwavering. waiting.

" _fine,_ i'll ask again, then," taehyung grumbles, auburn eyes looking straight into jungkook's as he tries to calm his breathing. the unreadable expression returns to his features. "do you want to go back to the human world?"

the black-haired boy blinks, finally being addressed directly. taehyung's concealed face isn't as fixated this time, he notices, the older boy's usually perfect mask now spilling with cracks that can't be hidden anymore due to his anger. no, not anger, jungkook realizes— _fear_.

he wonders, _fear of what?_ what could a fairy be scared of, in a place filled with creatures that can otherwise only be found in dreams and fiction? perhaps any other time, he would have analyzed the situation in more depth in order to learn more about this world, to learn more about taehyung.

but right now, jungkook—jungkook can only think of soft lips and beating wings and sunset-coloured hair. kisses along the curve of his jawline, just above his collarbones, at the corners of his mouth. all the too-close touches he'd have to leave behind in the fairy realm if he says _yes._

 _yes. i want to go back._

 _yes. take me home._

 _yes, please, i don't belong here, i need to leave._

 _yes, yes, yes, yes—_

"—no," jungkook whispers, and there's longing in his voice. longing for something he didn't know he wanted until he stepped into the forest that one night that seems so long ago now. longing for taehyung—because it's always been about taehyung, even when he himself didn't know it.

the older boy looks at him, then at seokjin behind the counter, and smiles victoriously, the same smile he greeted jungkook with the first time they met. and when taehyung moves toward him, jungkook sees a flicker of a malicious grin, feels the ghost of his voice as he says:

" _good."_

.

.

.

" _you're mine now, jungkookie."_

and jungkook gives himself to taehyung, body and soul and humanity.

* * *

 **a/n:**

a few notes (yes, I am aware that this is way too long):

\- i imagined the fairy realm to look something like the spirit world from legend of korra

\- this was told from jungkook's pov so there are some things that he's not aware of. (1) the fairy realm is only accessible to humans when a fairy grants them entry. he didn't accidently cross the barrier himself; taehyung lured him into the forest. (2) names have a lot of power in all the fairy lore i searched up so when jungkook gave his name to taehyung, it was like the first step to letting taehyung have possession of him. (3) throughout the story, taehyung sprinkles fairy glitter on jungkook. this is mostly to make him forget about the human world, but the effects aren't immediate so it wasn't like jungkook did a 180 switch. by the time it reached the end of the story and taehyung asked if he wanted to go back to the human world, jungkook could only think of the fairy realm and taehyung.

\- fairies (in this story, at least) feed off a human's life energy. they are not immortal but they can live for as long as they have a human by their side. if jungkook had refused to stay in the fairy realm voluntarily, taehyung was prepared to tie him up and trap him there.

\- life energy is transferred from humans to fairies through the mouth. so when taehyung said that he lives off jungkook's kisses, he wasn't exactly lying.

\- whether taehyung was actually in love with jungkook or if he was just pretending to gain jungkook's trust is entirely up to you.

\- witches do exist! and they eat frog stew like taehyung said. though they probably live among the humans in hiding. the fairies and witches sort of have a… hostile truce right now.

\- yoongi is the only one who wasn't mentioned in the story but he'd probably be the unlucky guy who finds jungkook's body in the forest a few years later. just taking a stroll and then comes across a dead body. (oh yeah, human bodies are deposited back to the human world when the fairies have used up all their life energy. can't have the fairy realm piling up with corpses, right?)

\- is this entire story a metaphor for an emotionally abusive relationship? i don't know.


End file.
